Abbott elementary takes on the Charter School Movement

[Anonymous]

As a parent who is applying to multiple charter schools I thought the episode of Abbott Elementary was thought provoking but I am still looking to send my kids to the best school possible which is not inbound.

For anyone who did not see the episode the New Yorker wrote an article:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/how-abbott-elementary-takes-on -the-charter-school-movement/amp

I am interested to hear what other parents think. It seems like charter schools have been great DCPS but interested in hearing others opinions.

[Anonymous]

Ugh. This just reinforces why I won’t watch the show. Read the room - a show with public school teachers as heroes was not exactly on my to-watch list after school shutdowns. And now anti-charter propaganda? No thanks.

[Anonymous]

I love Abbott Elementary and am wary of public schools run by multi-state private operators, and I have been wondering if the charter takeover thing is specific to Philadelphia or other districts where local or state laws cover that kind of thing.

I'm aware of DCPS taking over 2-3 failing DC public charter schools, but the idea of the reverse -- a school district wanting a charter operator to take over one of their schools -- was new to me. Public charter schools have taken over former DCPS buildings, but only after DCPS had decided to close them, is that correct?

Does anyone have experience with the Philadelphia school system or another place where hostile takeovers by charter operators happen?

I still love the show, but I fear people who are anti-charter will use the storyline to stir up a fear of something that isn't a universal threat. I do wish people will be informed and be vocal to prevent the spread of the legality of that kind of public school district/public charter school operator takeover activity. And support of public charter schools only for filling in gaps and to offer special programming isn't that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love Abbott Elementary and am wary of public schools run by multi-state private operators, and I have been wondering if the charter takeover thing is specific to Philadelphia or other districts where local or state laws cover that kind of thing.

I'm aware of DCPS taking over 2-3 failing DC public charter schools, but the idea of the reverse -- a school district wanting a charter operator to take over one of their schools -- was new to me. Public charter schools have taken over former DCPS buildings, but only after DCPS had decided to close them, is that correct?

Does anyone have experience with the Philadelphia school system or another place where hostile takeovers by charter operators happen?

I still love the show, but I fear people who are anti-charter will use the storyline to stir up a fear of something that isn't a universal threat. I do wish people will be informed and be vocal to prevent the spread of the legality of that kind of public school district/public charter school operator takeover activity. And support of public charter schools only for filling in gaps and to offer special programming isn't that.

Same poster. I should say, But support of public charter schools only for filling in gaps and to offer special programming isn't the same as that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love Abbott Elementary and am wary of public schools run by multi-state private operators, and I have been wondering if the charter takeover thing is specific to Philadelphia or other districts where local or state laws cover that kind of thing.

I'm aware of DCPS taking over 2-3 failing DC public charter schools, but the idea of the reverse -- a school district wanting a charter operator to take over one of their schools -- was new to me. Public charter schools have taken over former DCPS buildings, but only after DCPS had decided to close them, is that correct?

Does anyone have experience with the Philadelphia school system or another place where hostile takeovers by charter operators happen?

I still love the show, but I fear people who are anti-charter will use the storyline to stir up a fear of something that isn't a universal threat. I do wish people will be informed and be vocal to prevent the spread of the legality of that kind of public school district/public charter school operator takeover activity. And support of public charter schools only for filling in gaps and to offer special programming isn't that.

Same poster. I should say, But support of public charter schools only for filling in gaps and to offer special programming isn't the same as that.

I believe you are correct that charters never took over DCPS, though I’d argue they displaced them for a while. Maybe less so now. The Center City charters are former Catholic schools, FWIW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love Abbott Elementary and am wary of public schools run by multi-state private operators, and I have been wondering if the charter takeover thing is specific to Philadelphia or other districts where local or state laws cover that kind of thing.

I'm aware of DCPS taking over 2-3 failing DC public charter schools, but the idea of the reverse -- a school district wanting a charter operator to take over one of their schools -- was new to me. Public charter schools have taken over former DCPS buildings, but only after DCPS had decided to close them, is that correct?

Does anyone have experience with the Philadelphia school system or another place where hostile takeovers by charter operators happen?

I still love the show, but I fear people who are anti-charter will use the storyline to stir up a fear of something that isn't a universal threat. I do wish people will be informed and be vocal to prevent the spread of the legality of that kind of public school district/public charter school operator takeover activity. And support of public charter schools only for filling in gaps and to offer special programming isn't that.

I worked in a Philly charter for several years. We were identified as a turnaround school and given over to a charter company. We closed three years later after our CEO embezzled hundreds of thousands

[Anonymous]

DCPS once hired a company to operate Dunbar for a while. But that did not make it a charter school, legally speaking.

[Anonymous]

I loved the episode and for those who don't think that the same problems are happening in DC are just blind. Charters regularly take a select population of students and kick out those who require more resources, leaving DCPS with more students who have more needs. At the same time, the charters erode neighborhood schools leaving them with too small of a population to provide robust offerings.

[Anonymous]

The New Yorker article captures the issues perfectly. Charters are a way for political actors, billionaires, and scammers to undermine public schools to achieve their own ends—and to give elected officials an excuse to let public schools wither on the vine.

Good for Quinta Brunson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The New Yorker article captures the issues perfectly. Charters are a way for political actors, billionaires, and scammers to undermine public schools to achieve their own ends—and to give elected officials an excuse to let public schools wither on the vine.

Good for Quinta Brunson.

Ah, nothing like painting with a broad, inaccurate brush.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I loved the episode and for those who don't think that the same problems are happening in DC are just blind. Charters regularly take a select population of students and kick out those who require more resources, leaving DCPS with more students who have more needs. At the same time, the charters erode neighborhood schools leaving them with too small of a population to provide robust offerings.

meanwhile, actual data shows that is untrue

https://dcpcsb.org/dc-public-charter-schools-serve-higher-percentages-risk-students-and-high-needs-special-education

[Anonymous]

Paul PCS was a DCPS school first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I loved the episode and for those who don't think that the same problems are happening in DC are just blind. Charters regularly take a select population of students and kick out those who require more resources, leaving DCPS with more students who have more needs. At the same time, the charters erode neighborhood schools leaving them with too small of a population to provide robust offerings.

meanwhile, actual data shows that is untrue

https://dcpcsb.org/dc-public-charter-schools-serve-higher-percentages-risk-students-and-high-needs-special-education

How many students with disabilities served by charters are adult students? Why isn’t this information broken out to enable direct comparison with DCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ugh. This just reinforces why I won’t watch the show. Read the room - a show with public school teachers as heroes was not exactly on my to-watch list after school shutdowns. And now anti-charter propaganda? No thanks.

Find your brain.

SCHOOL CHOICE IS A SCAM

So called "charter schools" like the Betsey DeVos model are you insane?

NO that is not a viable option for schools unless you want more dumb Americans.

It is not propaganda it is FACT that school choice makes schools worse not better.

Stop with your lies.

[Anonymous]

In a lot of places, charter schools are a tool used to undermine, defund, discredit, and in many ways, destroy public education.

In DC, this is NOT the case. If you're posting here, on a DC parents forum, and are posting a non-nuanced, complete rejection of charter schools, you better have a kid who is currently at or has already graduated from, an EOTP DCPS middle school. Or you have no idea what actual parents who live in the majority of DC are actually dealing with. Send your kid to Cardozo Middle School, then we'll talk.

Charter schools, and in particular, the DC Public Charters, are not a panacea, neither all they all together bad. For parents, for integration, for equity, for students, and for the district as a whole. DC schools face an enormous numbers of challenges, and to respond to the current system with "Charters = Bad" is woefully narrow-minded, and given the demographics of DCUM comes with HUGE privilege.